Natural Medicine of Humor

Discover the unique prescription created by a (formerly) stressed-out Kentucky psychiatrist...FOR FREE. Formerly only available to his patients, Dr. Kuhn now makes his Fun Factor prescription available to anyone with an Internet connection.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Giving Thanks for the Natural Medicine of Humor

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. And the natural medicine of humor has provided the Kuhn family with another pleasant time.

If you're like me, Frank Capra doesn't direct your life. You don't have "storybook" family relationships; your family doesn't look like a made-for-television movie-of-the-week.

I don't mean that my family is awful. But my family is certainly not like the ones promoted by advertisers and holiday movie makers. Those types of families only exist in the media.

Those media-created families are fun to watch. They are an ideal and ideals are great goals. But you should never measure yourself against ideals.

(In fact, you should never measure yourself against anything. Life is, after all, NOT a competition!)

Luckily for us, the natural medicine of humor provides us with the antidote for measuring ourselves against unrealistic ideals. One of my Smile Strategies is to Tell the Truth. There's a lot of emotional freedom in being honest about how annoying Grandma is or how irritating Uncle Frank can be. Telling the Truth (to yourself) is a great way to get rid of stress!

But don't stop there! Humor's natural medicine has more in store; another of my Smile Strategies is Appreciate Everything. After telling the truth about Uncle Frank, make it your mission to find something about him to appreciate. You can say, "Uncle Frank really tries hard to please us and make us laugh; I appreciate his efforts and his intentions are good."

Appreciating the people around you might do nothing to change their behavior, but it will do wonders for your attitude. And you'll be amazed at how humor's natural medicine turns your attitude around and changes your experiences dramatically!

Try these two Smile Strategies throughout this holiday season. Since our holiday traditions are all idealized (to some degree), you'll find yourself smiling more and having more fun when you use the natural medicine of humor to free yourself from holiday stress!

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Natural Medicine Of Humor Lets You Perform Just Like Mary Lou Retton

Do you remember watching a great gymnast, like Mary Lou Retton? You've never seen such amazing ability to flip and twist in the air. And then, after all the mid-air gyrations and a fancy dismount, she lands squarely on her feet.

Except when she doesn't.

You've seen what Mary Lou Retton does when she lands off balance, right? She tries to maintain a precarious off balance "freeze," with her arms spread, and a big grin. She strikes a pose as if to say, "I meant to do that!"

You don't think the judges are fooled by that, do you? Me neither. But it's a great model for all of us and it invokes the natural medicine of humor.

Well, we all land off balance like that sometimes. Especially when you are incorporating something new, like humor, into all areas of your life. Sooner or later you do or say something embarrassing.

During such moments, you could attack yourself. But I want you to try something else; I want you to adopt the "Mary Lou Retton." Which means you tell yourself, "I meant to do that!"

The "Mary Lou Retton" amounts to being kinder to yourself. Which reinforces my Fun Commandment of Taking Yourself Lightly. And, if you allow yourself more slack in this way, you will soon find yourself becoming more tolerant of others as well.

Tolerance and kindness are, after all, always welcome in our social interactions and their roots can be traced right to your humor nature!

Cliff Kuhn, M.D.The Laugh Doctor"it all starts with a SMILE"

The Natural Medicine of Humor"Discover a unique, FREE, and incredibly powerful prescription created out of desperation by a (formerly) stressed-out Kentucky psychiatrist"

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

The Natural Medicine Of Humor Can Take You To Zen

A friend of mine, recently retired, told me he signed up at our community college for a course in meditation. I told him that was better than him sitting around and doing nothing!

Meditation rests your brain, right? But do you find it difficult to sit still for extended periods of time?

I have good knews for you! Did you know that laughter gives your brain a vacation? Sounds wild, but it's true. Once again, the natural medicine of humor provides your health a big boost.

I've watched the rate of cerebral blood flow using PET scans. When you are sad or crying, your brain works overtime. When you laugh, however, your brain doesn't work as hard.

If fact, when you laugh your PET scan looks the same as if you are in a deep state of meditation or relaxation. Yes...it turns out that laughter is both a natural medicine and a mini-meditation for your brain.

And frequent bursts of laughter add up, over time, to have the same effect as lengthy meditation. So break out your favorite humor props and get enlightened with the most fun form of meditation known to humankind!

Cliff Kuhn, M.D.The Laugh Doctor"it all starts with a SMILE"

The Natural Medicine of Humor"Discover a unique, FREE, and incredibly powerful prescription created out of desperation by a (formerly) stressed-out Kentucky psychiatrist"

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Humor's Natural Medicine Kicks In When You Merely Have The Right Attitude

A subtle shift in your attitude is all that is required to experience the boundless energy of the natural medicine of humor.

An attitude of willingness...of lightness...is all that is necessary. This attitude is more subtle, yet more pervasive, than a posture of "always joking around." It communicates receptivity, flexibility, and a trusting fondness for the human spirit.

Even when outright laughter is not particularly welcome of appropriate, the attitude of lightness and kindness usually is.

You see...creating an atmosphere for fun all around you is the goal. Establishing this atmosphere is much more important than laughing to experience the amazing natural medicine of humor. Not everything that's fun, after all, is funny!

Fun can mean the simple appreciation of a sunset, a beautiful passage of music, or a baby's precious smile. None of these events need provoke outright laughter - yet they are positive experiences that contribute to your health.

Even a slight shift in your attitude in the direction of indulging your sense of humor, permitting your childlike playfulness to emerge, will produce massive influxes of the natural medicine of humor. Make this a deliberate goal and prove it to yourself today.

Cliff Kuhn, M.D.The Laugh Doctor"it all starts with a SMILE"

The Natural Medicine of Humor"Discover a unique, FREE, and incredibly powerful prescription created out of desperation by a (formerly) stressed-out Kentucky psychiatrist"

Monday, January 02, 2006

How To Use The Natural Medicine Of Humor To Distinguish Between Healthy And Unhealthy Humor

Healthy humor will make you healthy. Unheathly humor will make you...well...sick.

Healthy humor is usually more subtle and gentle. It occurs naturally. Unhealthy humor, since it is based on a lie (the lie that we are different from one another), must be contrived and more forcefully set up.

To exploit the apparent differences between us, unhealthy humor must distract you from a basic truth, which is that we are all a lot more alike than different.

The good news is that since healthy humor reflects the truth, it is more abundant. It is all around us. Healthy humor is like an undercurrent that runs through everything.

You need only train yourself to become more aware of it and receptive to it. Furthermore, since it is healthy humor that you are seeking, you can drop some of your apprehensions and reluctance based on the fear that your laughter will be offensive or painful to others.

I wasn't The Laugh Doctor yet, but I was already investigating, and experimenting with, humor as a natural medicine. As a psychiatrist, I understood that your thoughts and attitudes create your reality. I intuitively knew that there was more to humor than the research was telling us.

It stood to reason that if you used humor as a natural medicine, you would change your reality as you changed your attitude. After all, life is like a glass of water - you either see it as half-full or half-empty. Either way it's the same glass of water - so, given the choice, why wouldn't you choose to see it as half-full?

And I've since proven, beyond the shadow of any doubt, that you have no better resource than the natural medicine of humor to help you see the glass as half-full today.

My early understanding of the natural medicine of humor helped me explain my answer to Greg. Here's what I told him:

"Yes, Greg, Santa is real.

Santa Claus is magical and he is real, but his magic is a special magic just for children who believe in him. The moment you decide not to believe in him, he is no longer real for you. And your Mom and I will then make your Christmas as special for you as Santa does.

Now, it's okay if you decide not to believe in Santa Claus; I promise you will still have a wonderful Christmas. But it's also okay to believe in Santa and, as long as you decide to do so, he is as real as I am."

To which my daughter, Rebecca, immediately chimed in, "Greg, I know Santa is real. Think about it - he brings us big, expensive presents. Mom and Dad can't afford those presents!"

Those words are still just as true today! Here's to your use of the natural medicine of humor this holiday season!

Cliff Kuhn, M.D.The Laugh Doctor"it all starts with a SMILE"

The Natural Medicine of Humor"Discover a unique, FREE, and incredibly powerful prescription created out of desperation by a (formerly) stressed-out Kentucky psychiatrist"

Monday, December 12, 2005

How The Natural Medicine Of Humor Can Help You With Employee Recommendations

Ever have to write a letter of recommendation for a fired employee? Or, ever have to make a decision about hiring someone you aren’t sure about? These key phrases may give you a clue about the REAL meanings. You never know when they might come in handy – or serve as fair warning!

Regarding an employee who is chronically absent:

"A man like him is hard to find."

"It seemed her career was just taking off."

For the office drunk:

"I feel his real talent is wasted here."

"We generally found him loaded with work to do."

"Every hour with him was a happy hour."

For an employee with no ambition:

"He could not care less about the number of hours he had to put in."

"You would indeed be fortunate to get this person towork for you."

For an employee who is so unproductive thatthe job is better left unfilled:

"I can assure you that no one would be better for the job."

For an employee who is not worth further considerationas a job candidate:

"I would urge you to waste no time in making this candidatean offer of employment."

"All in all, I cannot say enough good things about thiscandidate or recommend him too highly."

For a stupid employee:

"There is really nothing you can teach a man like him."

"I most enthusiastically recommend this candidate with noqualifications whatsoever."

For a dishonest employee:

"Her true ability was deceiving."

"He's an unbelievable worker."

Cliff Kuhn, M.D.The Laugh Doctor"it all starts with a SMILE"

The Natural Medicine of Humor"Discover a unique, FREE, and incredibly powerful prescription created out of desperation by a (formerly) stressed-out Kentucky psychiatrist"

About Me

I am a devoted husband and a proud father of two grown children.
I've spent the last four decades researching, documenting, and even prescribing the natural medicine of humor to my patients. You'll be amazed at the power of humor's natural medicine, which you possess in abundance and always have free and easy access towards!